xiiINTRODUCTION
The questions that prompted this research originally arose out of Christian
ministry. At that time the author was a pastor and recognized how some people,
whether fellow clergy or laity, who became interested in the spiritual life often felt
frustrated by the lack of resources, especially within the Reformed and Evangelical
tradition. Rather than examine the historical roots of their heritage they tended to
explore and embrace the richness of writings and methods of prayer of the Roman
Catholic tradition. On the one hand, this is both wise and necessary as will be clearly
demonstrated in this present study. Further, if any one is interested in ecumenical
dialogue it is essential that he or she have a significant background in other
expressions of Christianity. However, on the other hand, if a person does not
consider his or her own spiritual roots it is likely to create an impoverished spirituality
since that person is unaware of the resources that first enriched and guided that
tradition. A conviction that has long inspired my research in the study of the history
of Christian spirituality is that if you examine any tradition in detail you will discover
the full spectrum of both the strengths and weaknesses of the broader history of the
Church. Therefore, the historical question of what can the Reformed tradition
contribute to the study of Christian spirituality became the basis for this research.
Since those early days I have become a professor and now have the
opportunity of training students for Christian ministry. This combines the importance
of discovering the context and wisdom of the past as well as seeking to enable
contemporary pilgrims to learn from the Communion of Saints. While the majority of
this research is historical and theological it concludes in the final chapter by asking